Plate-holder for cameras



(No Model;)

M. P. WARNER.

PLATB'HOLDBRFOR OAMERAS.

Patented Nov. 8,-188'7.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

MILAN P. VARNER, OF HOLYOKE, MSSACHUSETTS.

PLATEv-HOLDER FOR CAMERAS.

BPEC'IFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,778, datel 'lt'offember 8, 18827.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILAN P. WARNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Holyeke, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful ,plate-holder embodying'my improvements,the

slides thereof which cover the photographic plates being removed. Fig. 4 is a perspeetive view of one of the plate-holding` Springs. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the plateholding clips, the (lotted lines shown iu connection with said clip and spring indicating the position of the end of a plate relative to those parts when the plate is in the holder. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the plate-holder, showing one of the slides therein and one removed. Fig. 5 is. a side view of a spring, hereinafter described.

In the drawings, ab 0 iudicate, respectively, the side and end rails of the frame of the plateholder, which is constructed of Wood or other similar material, of reetangular form and of such dimensions as may be required for the photographie plates which it is to hold. Said frame is provided with a thin metallic or other diaphragm, 5, secured therein in suitable grooves in the frame, as shown in Fig. 2, and located about centrally between the opposite sides of the frame and constituting a close .partition, separaiing one side of the plate-holder from the other, thereby forming in each 'side of the latter a proper' recess or Chamber to receive aprepared photographic plate, which, after having been exposed in aeamera in the usual manner,becomes what is termed a nogative.77 The said frame ofthe plate-holder has two slots, e, through the upper or head end thereof,corresponding in position with the ends of twolongitudinal grooves, f, in the inner opposite sides, a, and on the opposite sides of the diaphragm 5, said slots and grooves being provided for the reeeption of two slide plates, 6, (one of which is shown in the plate-holder in Fig. 2,) made preferably of thin sheet metal, each having a suitable head or handle, o, on one end thereof, as shown, said plates 6 each forming, when pushed into said frame, one side ofa close dark chamber for the reception of said negative plate, oneend of said slide-plate entering av groove, e', in the inner side of the lower end, c, of the frame, as shown in Fig. 2. By means of the said grooves e, e', and f in the frame, which entirely inclose the borders of the slide-plate (3 when the latter is in position in the frame to cover and protect the negative plate 7, the entranee of any light-into lthe said dark plate-ehamber in the holder is wholly prevented.

The aforesaid slots c in one end of the frame of the plate-holder are provided with automatieally-operating devices for cutting off any light that otherwise might enter the aforesaid plate-Chamber when either one of the slides 6 is withdrawn from the holder, and for preventing any light from passing between one side of said slide and the adjoining side of the groove in which it moves, and said lightobstructing devices are construeted and operate as follows:

Referring to Fig. 2, in which the upper end, b, of the plate-holder is shown in section, it

will be seen that at the side of the groove e is formed a reeess, in which is placed a metallic strip, 8, which eXtends longitudinally in said end b at one side of said slot. One edge of said metallic strip S is bent over, as shown, and enters a groove at one edge of said rccess, and about midway between the edges of the strip 8 is seeured a strip, which also enters a groove parallel with the first-mentioned one, and between the last-named strip and the bot` tom of the groove which receives it is plalccd a metallic spring, 9, eonsisting simply of a piece of spring-Wire of sinuous form, as shown in Fig. 5, which oonstitutes a spring which operates to carry the said metallic strip 8 against the side of the slide 6, as shown in Fig. 2, and when said slide is withdrawn from the holder IOO to carry said strip cross the slot e, whereby light is prevented from passing through the slot e into the plate-chainber. One edge of the inetallic strip S (that edge being the one nearest the outer end of the frame) is turned over as aforesaid, in order to give it such a form as will prevent said strip 'from obstructing the free entrance of the end of the slide G into and through the slot c in the frame.

For the purpose of seouring and holding` the aforesaid glass negative plates 7 in the plateholder, two plate-holding Springs, 2, are seeured oii the inner side of the lower end, c, of the holder, which springs are made separately, as shown, or consist of one strip of spring metal-as brass or steel-having the ends thcreofproperly formed, as shown, whereby their normal position isthat shown in lfig. 1, the free ends thereof standing away from the part of the frame to which they are attachcd. The said plateholder Springs have each secured thereon, or made as an integral part thcreof, two lips, 4, either one or both of said lips being inore or less inclined to the side of the spring, in order to provide a receptaele for the lower edge of the negative plate 7, which will prevent the latter from moving therein toward or from the diaphragm 5, so as to keep said plate in proper focal position in the holder. rllhe position of the lower end of the parallelogram drawn in dotted lines in Fig. -i illuslrates that of the part of a plate which is in engagcment with the lips of the spring 2 when the plate is held by the latter. lu practice the inclined lip of each spring 2 is set close to or bearing slightly against the adjoining side of the diaphragm 5, iii order to faeilitate the engagement of the lower end of the negative plate thercwith when working in a dark closet.

The means for holding the upperend of the negative plate in the holder eonsist of two metallie clips, 3, made of the form shown in Figs. l and 3, which clips are seeured on the inner side of the end Z) of the plate-holder frame, preferably near the opposite Corners of the latter, as shown. By reference to lfig. 3 it will be seen that one of the borders of said clip is bent snbstantially at right angles to its base, and that its opposite border stands at an incline to said base, this form being given to tlie clip for the same purpose as that described relative to the lips ft on the spring 2. The clips 3 are secured in the holder between the slot (z and the diaphragm '5,with theirinclined borders against said diaphragm, whereby their narrower borders are brought uppermost. If

desired, the upper end of the plate 7 may be secured by one only of said clips 3, placed about inidway between the borders of the holder; but the plate would bc less steadily From the above descripsupported thereby.

tion of the plate-holder herein referred to, and from its construction as illustratcd in the drawings, it should be understood that the plateholding devices on each side of the diaphragm 5, when the plate-holder is made in double form, as shown, are identical in their construction, and henee a description of those pertaining to one side of the holdei` applies to those on the other side thereof,

In pntting a negative plate into the holder, the lower end thereof is placed between the lips of the Springs 2 at the lower end of the holder, and the plate is pressed downward against said springs until the upper end thereof is brought below the projeeting edge of the clips 3when the upper end of the plate is carried toward the diaphragln 5 and between the two lips of said clips, when the plate is released, perniitting said springs to carry the upper end of the plate 7 into engagement with the clips, as shown in Fig. 2, and said plate is then held inimovably in the holder by the force of the sin'ings 2and the said lips and borders, respectively, on the springs and clips. Fig. 2 illnstrates said negative plate 7 in position in the plate holder, and the opposite side of the latter with no plate therein, and showing the end of one of the Springs 2 in its upward normal position.

To remove the negative plate from theholder, said plate is forced downward against the cnds of the springs 2 snllieiently to perrnit the upper end of the plate to bc draw n outward away from the clips 3.

The wilhin-deseribed construction of plateholding deviees attaehed to the frame of the plate-holder, as set forth-that is to say, the springs 2 and the clips 3-obviates the neeessity of any springs between the negative plate 7 and the diaphragm 5, such as have been heretofore eniployed to cause the negative plate to remain in a proper focal position when in the plate-holder.

`What l. elaiin as niy invention is A photographie negativc-plate holder consisti ng of a frame, substantially as described, having a plate-chaniber on one or both sidcs thereof, a slide-plate to be nioved through a slot in one end of said frame and within groovcs in the inner borders of the latter to close one side of said chaniber, and plate engaging Springs, as 2, seeured at one end of said platechaniber, having lips thereon, between which one end of said negative plate engages, and one or more clips, as 3, secured at the oppo- `site endof said ehamber,with which the opposite end of said plate engages, substantially as set forth.

MILAN P. XVARNER. Vitnesses:

G. M. GHAMBERLAIN, H. A. CHAPIN,

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